More downpour in store for dists; 882 mm rain recorded in Nov so far
Several districts of Tamil Nadu will continue to receive heavy rainfall for the next 48 hours due to the atmospheric circulation over the Kanniyakumari coast and adjoining Sri Lanka coast, the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) announced on Sunday. A new low-pressure area that was expected to form over the Andaman Sea on Monday has been delayed and is likely to gain strength on November 30.
“Due to the atmospheric circulation over the Kanniyakumari coast, and adjoining SL coast, several districts of Tamil Nadu, Kanniyakumari and Tirunelveli will witness heavy to very heavy rains. Heavy downpour is also expected over Thoothukudi and Ramanathapuram. Moderate rain with thunderstorm is likely to occur over the coastal and southern districts of Tamil Nadu for the next 48 hours,” said N Puviarasan, director, Area Cyclone Warning Centre, RMC, said.
Moderate rains along with thunderstorms are expected in Chennai but the RMC said the weather will mostly be clear for the next 48 hours. On Sunday, Meenambakkam recorded 61 mm of rainfall, Chennai Airport 57.7 mm, Pallikaranai 42.7 mm, Taramani 21.5 mm, MRC Nagar 20 mm, YMCA Nandanam 12.5 mm and Nungambakkam 5.6 mm. According to the RMC, in November till date, 882.4 mm of rainfall has been recorded against a normal of 336.3 mm. In October, the city received 215.2 mm of rainfall against its normal quota of 275.3 mm.
The Water Resources Department increased the outflow from Poondi reservoir to 12,000 cusecs from 8,000 cusecs due to increased inflow in the water body. The Department issued notice to the Collectors to evacuate people living in low-lying areas from around 30 areas including Manali, Manali New Town, Ennore, Sadayankuppam, and Kosasthailaiyar coastal areas. Moreover, the Cheyyur Government Hospital in Chengalpattu district was flooded post heavy rains on Sunday.
Chief Minister MK Stalin visited flood-affected areas in the suburbs for the second day on Sunday. Accompanied by Dairy Minister SM Nasar and Tiruvallur MP K Jayakumar, Stalin visited Tiruverkadu Municipality and instructed officials to expedite the draining of water from flooded areas. From Padamavathi Nagar in Tiruverkadu, Stalin walked for a couple of kilometres up to Velapanchavadi panchayat union elementary school, inspecting flood-affected areas en route. The Chief Minister also collected petitions from the residents in the area and distributed relief materials to over 300 people there before inspecting the special health camp and COVID vaccination camp at the school. Subsequently, Stalin inspected flood damages and relief works in Amman Koil Street, police quarters, Tirumullaivoyal and Ganapathy Nagar in Poonamallee Municipality. A statement from the government said the Chief Minister asked the people to take safety precautions, especially wear masks, to prevent the spread of COVID.